The Reckoneding
by enosselesueht
Summary: This is just an idea of how the Reckoning could go. A bit of fluff, action and definately romance a little lemony maybe . Making it up as I go along. If you have any ideas let me know.
1. Chapter 1

That night I lay awake thinking about the conversation I'd had with Andrew. I had been trying not to all day but I didn't have much choice when there was nothing to distract me. You'd think that someone who'd known Derek as long as he had would understand that, yes Derek was different, but he was still human…with some wolfy tendencies. None of it was bad unless you count loyalty, protectiveness, curiosity and super human senses as bad. Admittedly he does have a bit of a temper and a tendency to break backs, but its only when someone he cares about is in trouble. He knows that that is something he needs to work on and he's trying to overcome it. Just like I'm working on my stutter. His problem _is_ a bit more intense than mine but I still think that makes him just as human as the rest of us genetically altered freaks.

After the little tirade in my head I eventually drifted off into a light doze. I was tired enough to sleep fully but I guess that my subconscious was still too afraid of nightmares and the undead to let me do any more than doze. That was fine with me. Any rest was good rest.

Because I was only half asleep, when I was being shaken gently by a fiery hand I became quite disoriented and unsure of whether or not I was awake.

"Chloe." A deep rumble finally roused me enough to realise what was happening. Derek sat on the edge of my bed, his eyebrows pulled together and his hair plastered to his face with sweat. I blinked quickly, confused, trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep.

"You told me to come get you." It took me a moment to understand what he meant but then I noticed his green eyes glittering with fever.

"Give me a minute to get dressed. Wait outside."

He didn't say anything, just got up and dragged himself out of the room.

I grabbed the clothes closest to my hands, preying that they weren't Tori's and darted out of our room, yelping when I flew right into Derek. He put a hand over my mouth, shhing me.

He led me through the house several steps in front of me walking too swiftly for my little legs to follow. Derek kept growling and giving me 'the look' when I couldn't keep up. He forgot that I didn't have night vision like he did, so, blinded by the darkness, I banged my hip loudly on a table that I didn't know was there. He sighed, grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the backdoor propelling us both outside and into the forest.

Once we were out I took advantage of the moonlight to glance up at him. I could practically see the tension rolling off of his body as strongly as I could feel the heat from his fever burning my hand where he still held onto me. Derek looked down meeting my gaze and stopped walking.

"Chloe," he let go of my hand and turned to face me. "Chloe if you want to go back just do it. I can understand if you do. Just follow the path back to the-"

I cut him off. "I don't want to go back. I'm staying with you." But his words wormed through my heads, taking on new meaning. "U-unless you want me to go?"

Derek blinked, startled. "No. I didn't mean that." He ran his fingers through his hair, "_I _likehaving you there, its just I didn't know whether _you _wanted to be. I wouldn't have woken you up if I'd rather be alone."

I exhaled with relief "OK, now that's all cleared up, lets go. You look like your about to collapse." I grabbed his hand and started walking before he could argue. After a few seconds he took the lead and was walking really quickly again, not even bothering to glare when I tripped and struggled to keep up.

We reached the clearing and he dropped my hand. I felt strangely cold when he did, but it was a different cold, running deeper than the chill that danced across my skin.

Derek was so near his change that he began to tear off his clothes without even turning away for decency. I tore my eyes away from his perfectly sculpted body and resisted the urge to impersonate stripper music while making a mental note to tell him off later for cutting it so close. My anger was short lived though. Derek collapsed to the floor writhing in pain as his back arched, vertebrae cracking.

I fell to my knees beside him waiting for the first wave of convulsions to pass before trying to encourage him onto all fours. Between panted breaths I heard him mutter "thanks". I just took hold of his hand and massaged between his shoulder blades. All I could do was watch as his skin writhed and spasmed, his body flexing in multiple directions at impossible angles. He whimpered in pain and I felt like crying. I had to quickly rearrange my face when he turned his distorted head towards mine, his eyes wide with terror. I tried hard to keep my expression even so as not to scare him or make him think that I was uncomfortable or freaked out. Derek seemed to be satisfied with what he saw because he lowered his head again to concentrate on his change. He convulsed and emptied the contents of his stomach across the clearing until every branch and leaf had been completely coated with the spray, but even then his body kept trying, dry heaving with loud gagging noises. I mumbled reassurances as I watched his face elongate into a muzzle, ears rising to the top of his head, brow receding. The hair sprouting from his skin pushed against my palm, growing and softening, feeling more like fur.

With one last whimper from Derek, it stopped.

Damn.

He was _so close _to finishing.

Derek panted, more canine than human for a while but didn't have long to relax before he changed back painfully slowly, his hands…claws digging into the grass. At the end of it he dropped to the ground and rolled to face me. I still had hold of one of his hands and his other one was covering his face. I waited for a moment then asked "You OK?"

He grunted "Yeah." Derek looked up at me through his fingers just in time to see me shiver. He shifted so that he was blocking most of the wind. He rubbed his face with his hand and let it fall. This allowed me to see the dark shadows beneath his eyes.

"You look exhausted. Do you want to get some sleep before we go back?"

He thought for a second before answering "Nah. We should go back before the others wonder where we are." He yawned. "Lets go."

~~wiggly lines~~

"Thanks for coming with me." Derek was standing outside his and Simon's door, just in front of me. We stood there in silence for a while. Not companionable silence. Awkward silence. I felt like we'd just been on a first date or something and we were both trying to say goodbye to other but didn't know what to do. Like I said.

Awkward.

"So…you going to invite me in for coffee, or what?" I grinned to let him know it was a joke.

He frowned for a second, unsure what to make of that. Then laughed. "I'm not really that kind of guy. I like to take things slow." His eyes caught mine, all traces of humour gone. I got a funny feeling in my stomach. Like butterflies but different, not as unpleasant. Or was it unpleasant? It felt kind of good now that I thought of it. We were leaning in pretty close, I could feel his breathe on my mouth and I shivered, licking my lips. That caught his eye. He stepped closer, almost no gap between us.

And dipped his head towards mine.


	2. Ouch

**A/N**

**First of all thanks to you lovely people who reviewed. Winter Midnight, Cheese 101, Chloe Souza, .jd.4eva1 and Darkestpowerslover234. I love you all. I nearly cried when I saw that I had 5 reviews. (*sniff) I'm not even upset that I only got 5 reviews out of the 64 hit's the chapter got (oh yeah, you heard me right, 64!) You really made my day, they were really nice. Thanks. X**

**By the way I didn't mention that it started after the eight chapters of the Reckoning that Kelly Armstrong posted.**

**Disclaimer(forgot the last one)**

**I don't own DP. If I did Derek's shirt would be off all the time. It's not ****L****, so obviously I don't own it. Thanks Kelly Armstrong for giving me characters to play with. ****J**

I tilted my head up to meet his lips when…

"Chloe? Derek?" We jumped apart to see a bleary eyed Simon standing in the doorway to their room. He rubbed his eyes and smiled at us. "What are you two doing out here at," Simon checked his watch. " Four in the morning?"

Derek was had his signature scowl on his face and was leaning on the wall opposite the his bedroom. _He_ wasn't going to talk.

"W-we were just coming back in. Derek was changing again."

"Why didn't you wake me bro?" He was frowning, eyes flickering between me and Derek. What he was thinking was clearly written on his face. I felt the blush creep to my cheeks the same way they had when me and Derek were caught coming out of the crawl space.

"He was trying to go on his own." I snapped. I really shouldn't be so short with him, but his whole jealousy and possessiveness was really getting on my nerves. "But I woke up and went with him to make sure he was OK." As mad as I was, I still didn't want to hurt Simon's feelings, so I fudged the truth a little bit. Not telling him that Derek got me and not him.

He smiled, pleased with my answer. "So how did it go?"

He looked at Derek who just grunted, "Was OK. I'm going to bed." He pushed past Simon into their room. Looks like in saving one brother's feelings, I ended up hurting the other.

Simon turned to me reaching for my hand. "What's wrong with him?"

I subtly pulled my hand away pretending to brush my hair out my face. " Dunno. I'm going to bed too. Night." I turned to my room and headed towards Tori's snores. I shut the door as quietly as I could and climbed into bed.

I still couldn't sleep

~~more wiggly lines~~

At 7 'o'clock I decided that sleep was hopeless and went downstairs for breakfast. But a surprise met me halfway down the stairs. A pale hand flashed in front of me like at Lyle house, making me trip and stumble. I reached my hand out to grab the railing and break my fall but missed. I tumbled down landing on my wrist which cracked loudly, but before I could acknowledge pain there was a sickening popping noise when I landed on my chest causing my back to fold back on itself. I felt the agony of both but didn't have much time to concentrate before another was added to the mix. The front and right side of my face hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs first, taking the worst of the impact. It was closely followed by the rest of my body which crumpled like a rag doll onto the dusty wood.

I wheezed, trying to catch my breath back. That blow to the chest had knocked the wind out of me. I coughed a few times wincing at the pain that rocked through me. I panicked remembering the noise my back had made, I ignored the pain in my arm and wriggled around a bit, relieved when I was able to move everything. I slowly tried to flip over, careful not to do more damage. That's when I felt the warm sticky liquid on the side of my face. Blood. I brought my good arm up to touch my cheek, feeling around until I found the source. My nose. God I hope it isn't broken. I turned my head to the side when I could taste the blood from my nose trickle down the back of my throat. Not good. I needed to get up but I couldn't. My back hurt too much to even breathe, but stopping that to ease the pain was the stupidest thing I could do. I can see my tomb stone now.

RIP

Chloe Saunders

Death by Stupidity

I laughed and cried out in pain. I needed to get up. Now. I heard movement upstairs. A door opening, but no footsteps. Damn. Whoever it was wasn't in a hurry to get down here. I was about to try and call out when I heard a familiar deep voice.

"Chloe!"Derek ran down the stairs till he reached me and dropped to the floor, hands fussing unsure of what to do. "Shit, Chloe. What happened? Stupid question. Where does it hurt? What's wrong? Are you bleeding anywhere else? Do you-"

"I'm fine." He gave me a look that questioned my sanity. "No. I mean I'm not fine, its just not as bad as you think." I gasped and exhaled heavily. My chest hurt a lot.

He was still panicking and I knew that he needed to know everything that's going on in any situation to be able to deal with it, so I said. "I think my arms broken, I landed on my chest- it hurts but I think its just bruised, I hurt my back pretty bad," I saw his eyes widen with worry so I carried on quickly, "Its not broken, I already checked, its just sore and I might have broken my nose but I don't know that either."

Derek just stared for a while thinking through everything I had just said. I could almost see the cogs ticking away inside his head. "We need to get you off the floor." I bit back a laugh and a 'no shit Sherlock', settling for a nod. I reached out with my good arm for him to pull me up, but he took me by surprise and lifted me bridal style in his arms.

"You OK?" He asked.

"Yeah." In fact I was better than OK. Who knew someone so big could be so gentle. The pain didn't increase one bit.

Derek carried me carefully into the kitchen. "Can you stand or do you want to sit down." He hesitated. "Your back. Do you need to lie down?"

"I'll sit on a chair. I'm fine." I added when he frowned.

He set me down gently watching my face. I tried to control my wince, but it showed.

"Chloe you're not fine." Derek ran his fingers through his hair, pulling at it. "I should wake up Andrew. Get some help."

"No. Not yet." I wanted to be alone with him for a little while longer. "Get him in a bit. Can you get me a tissue for my nose please?"

"Yeah. Hang on." He bent down and rummaged through the freezer, mumbling a string of profanities. "No ice."

"What do you need ice for?" I coughed.

"To stop the bleeding," he gestured to my nose. "Its pretty bad."

Derek ran off and I sat at the kitchen table waiting. He seemed to have forgiven me for yesterday…this morning. Or he might just be too busy having a panic attack to yell at me. Which brings me onto, why? Why does he care so much? I get that if he found someone at the bottom of some stairs he would be worried, but I just don't understand why he is freaking out so much. I sighed. I was getting a headache on top of everything else just thinking of the inner workings of Derek's mind. Thoughts of Derek made my mind drift to the way he carried me in here so carefully and gentle. His arms were really warm and strong…

"Chloe?" I realised I was staring off into space. I felt my face heat up at him finding me drifting off along this train of thought. I hoped that my face was already red enough from the blood to hide my blush.

"Y-yeah."

"I need to get that blood off your face to see if your nose is broken." He held up a damp cloth. "It might hurt."

Derek's hand reached out to cup my face. I tried not to hyperventilate. My skin burned where he touched and I concentrated on the reason why he was touching me, to distract me from how it felt. He dabbed away the blood and I flinched when he pressed too hard on the sensitive side of my face.

"Stay still." He snapped, then he said softer, "It'll hurt more if you don't."

He caught my gaze again and we just stared at each other for a while. I wanted to lean up and finish that moment we had earlier, but now wasn't really the best time. One involving less pain would be nice. I was becoming more and more mesmerised by is eyes, the rich green flecked with a slightly darker shade, my eyes traced over his features and rested on his full lips. They looked really soft. I wanted to reach out and touch them…

He turned his face away and rinsed the cloth. I watched him swallow and take a deep breath. Did he feel it too?

He handed me a cloth soaked in cold water. I put it on my nose "So, uh, how did this happen?" He looked me over and folded his arms, leaning against the counter.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided that I may as well get up. I was walking down the stairs and I saw this hand just appear right in front of my face. I jumped and tripped down the stairs."

"Just a hand?" He asked. The scowl was back.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Dunno, its just…it might be important." He worked his jaw in frustration. He hated not knowing something.

"You're right. Why- Ow!" I clutched my hand to my chest. I was right handed so when my hair had fallen in front of my face, I had gone to brush it away with my injured hand.

Derek jumped forward. "I should wake up Andrew. Or Russell. He could help. That's what he's here for."

I really couldn't put it off much longer, I was starting to hurt pretty bad. "Yeah."

~~Wiggle~~

Derek had shook awake a very startled Andrew, who was now standing in front of me while the grandfatherly Shaman, Russell was finishing tending to my wounds.

"Your arm's only fractured so a splint should be fine, just don't take it off and if the pain gets worse, tell me." I nodded. "Other than that you're just pretty badly bruised."

"I only fell from half way."

He dipped his head in a slow nod, and glanced behind me.

I turned and saw a tousled haired Tori standing in the kitchen doorway. She looked around and spotted me, her eyes widening as she spotted the last remnants of blood on my face. "Damn. Did Wolfboy get hungry?"

Derek growled.

All eyes flew to him. Except Tori's, who just ignored all of us and went to the cupboard and poured herself a bowl of cereal. Everything was tense, and I could see the fear on Andrew's face as he watched Derek. My annoyance spiked again. I swallowed the anger bubbling inside and coughed.

"No Tori. I fell." Her eyes flicked to mine. She just shrugged and mumbled something that I couldn't hear, but it made Derek growl again. I reached out to touch his arm. He stiffened and I pulled away, hurt. The atmosphere thickened.

I wasn't the one to break the silence this time. Andrew cleared his throat and asked, "So how'd it happen?"

I explained about the hand and how I fell, noticing how everyone visibly relaxed, but only slightly.

"If I were you I wouldn't worry too much about the hand itself, just be more careful. You might get hurt worse if you fall again." I didn't agree, but I still nodded.

~~I luvs wiggles~~

I was sitting in Simon and Derek's room. Me and Derek were explaining to Simon what had happened to me. It had actually been quite amusing when Simon saw the bruises on the side of my face and nose…

(FLASHBACK)

"_Holy crap Chloe! What the hell happened." Simon raced across the room and stood in front of me._

"_I got in the way of Derek's one man breakfast stampede." I fake shuddered. "I was lucky to make it out alive…I think I have a few bite marks though." I pretended to look for them._

_His eyes widened. He thought I was serious?_

"_Very funny." Derek wandered over to his bed and lay down. I watched him, feeling bad._

(END OF FLASHBACK)

"I think Andrew's right. Don't worry too much about the hand."

I looked over at Simon. I had been told by two people not to worry about it, but I still did. I bit my lip.

"What's wrong Chloe?" Derek sat up, speaking for the first time in a while. He was frowning, whether he was pissed off or confused I had no idea.

"I just think the hand is something to worry about. I mean, when I tried to summon my Aunt Lauren she said it was too dangerous because _he_ was there. Whoever he is. And I usually see the entire ghost not just random limbs. The only time I saw just a hand was when I was at Lyle house and I was on meds to stop me from seeing them properly." I rubbed the back of my neck. "So whoever it was showed just their hand on purpose. I can't be sure but I think it was the 'he' that Aunt Lauren, or whoever that woman was, was talking about."

Derek's eyes focused on me, thinking. "Your right. They might be connected." He brushed his hair out his face. "But they might not." He frowned and fell back on his bed.

"Well." Simon looked at us both. "Who wants to go exploring? We could try and find out what that old key was for." He smiled hopefully at me. "Only if you feel up to it."

I glanced at Derek. He didn't move. "We sort of already guessed what it was for. Me and Derek." His face fell and his lips tightened ever so slightly. Again with the jealousy. It was flattering and all but it was really not what I needed. I just hope he doesn't try to hold my hand again.

"We thought it might be for the basement." I continued.

"Yeah. That's a good idea. Do you want to go now?"

I thought for a second. I really hate basements. I shuddered at the memory of the one at my old house with Mrs Hobb lurking in the shadows and the guy behind the furnace. I knew what would make me feel better though.

"Sure. Derek?" I looked at him hopefully, I could see Simon out of the corner of my eye watching me. I ignored him, feeling a bit guilty.

I caught his gaze, getting butterflies again. His gaze went oddly blank for a second before he nodded, slowly.

"Great." I forced my gaze back to Simon, who looked slightly disappointed.

"Well lets go then." He thought for a second. "But lets not bring Tori."

**A/N**

**Oooooooooooh. What was with the hand? Is there a bad guy? Will Derek and Chloe ever be together? Seriously tell me cus I can't really remember where I was going with this. I'm sort of winging it. If you have any ideas tell me. Pleeeeeeeeeeease review. It makes me happy.**


	3. You got Owned!

**A/N**

**Thanks for all your reviews, they are awesome. Haven't updated as soon as my other chapters. Been busy and quite stuck. With the others I just kept writing and writing, but this one took me a while. Hope you like. **

**By the way, have any of you read Kelly Armstrong's adult books (Not **_**that**_** kind of adult(well…not really)). Its called the Women of the Otherworld series. First book is called Bitten. Its about Werewolves. The whole series is amazing. I read them before Darkest Powers so that was how I got into them.**

We left the boys' room after Simon got the key from his bedside table. He walked ahead, me a few paces behind him and Derek a few _miles_ behind us. What was up with him? I turned around to tell him to keep up, but saw his head down, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped. His too long hair fell in his face and I just felt so…so…_sad. _I wanted to reach out, brush the strands off his forehead and tell him it will be alright. _Yeah that'll go down well._

When he looked up, sensing my gaze, our eyes met for one incredibly intense second. Then suddenly, ruining our little moment, I tripped over my own feet.

"Chloe!" He reached out but I didn't hit the floor. I somehow managed to catch myself before impact.

"I'm fine." I assured him. "By the way I'm not usually this pathetically clumsy."

Derek just smirked, his face lighting up for just a second, eyes twinkling.

Simon decided to join in the conversation then, making me jump. I forgot he was there. "C'mon then." He gestured to both of us to but a mischievous glint entered his eyes. "Do you need me to hold your hand to make sure you don't fall." He stared at me, trying to work his magic on me with his smile. I couldn't help it. My eyes flicked to Derek standing in the corner by the wall, cutting himself off from us again. Making him happy was easy compared to keeping him that way. So to keep the peace I laughed, casually brushing off his suggestion.

"I think I can manage to stand on my own two feet without any help." I fixed a smile on my face. "Lets go before Tori or Andrew find us." Simon's face fell as he turned towards the stairs. I followed, checking behind me to see if Derek was there. He was. And he was staring at me. An unfathomable expression on his face. I swallowed slowly and forced myself to watch my feet.

When I reached the stairs, I felt a pressure on the small of my back. "Better safe than sorry." Derek's breath fanned across the back of my neck, his lips just brushing my skin. I shivered. He pulled his face away but kept his hand on me, making sure I didn't kill myself on the stairs.

I could've died and I wouldn't have cared.

When we reached the bottom I expected him to drop his hand and walk ahead, but he didn't, his hand stayed where it was, gently resting against me. I leant back against him, without really realising it. The warmth felt nice.

I frowned and started thinking about him. Does this mean he likes me? Is it just a friendly gesture? Or a really friendly gesture? Was he serious about just making sure I didn't hurt myself? Do _I_ like Derek in that way? Or do I like him like a brother or a guy friend? I've never really had a close guy friend or a brother or a boyfriend for that matter, so I don't know what either feels like. Thoughts of him being just a guy friend made me think of movies and the 'gay best friend' stereotype. Was Derek my metaphorical 'gay best friend'?

At that I burst out laughing. A gay Derek! Oh my God!

Simon and Derek both looked at me like I was insane. I waved my hand at them in a 'don't worry about it' motion and was about to open my mouth to tell them that when we reached the basement door.

I stiffened and my whole body froze involuntarily. Derek dropped his hand obviously thinking that it was his closeness that made me stop, but I still couldn't move. I had that feeling again. The back of my neck prickled and I felt an icy chill right through to my bones. Goosebumps erupted from my skin and the back of my head throbbed as I shivered violently. But it was different to the feeling I had when there was a body nearby. It was more sudden than that, instead of building up slowly the closer I got to the corpse, it just hit me, like having ice water thrown over you. It was more intense. Before, the feeling was as easily ignored as a paper cut but now it was as all consuming as a broken bone. It was new and terrifying, but I knew one thing for sure.

I did _not_ want to go into that room.

"Chloe? Chloe? What's wrong?" Derek and Simon looked panicked. I imagined how this must look to them, my sudden outburst of unprovoked hysterical laughter and then absolute gut wrenching fear.

"I-I-I-" I couldn't get it out.

"Slow down." Derek commanded. It wasn't degrading, but gentle and encouraging. "Calm down." But not matter how gently he said them his words still couldn't help.

I tried to chew on my tongue to slow myself down but I couldn't think. I felt like I was going to pass out.

Something in Derek's head must have clicked because he said "Get her away from the basement."

"Why?" Simon was confused but Derek's arms wound around me and pulled me backwards. The feeling decreased but was still there.

"Chloe?" Simon asked. They were both looking at me.

"Are you alright?" This time it was Derek that spoke. He still had hold of me like he was afraid I was going to collapse.

"I-I-I f-felt like I d-d-did-" I bit my tongue and swallowed. Get your head together. "I-I-I got that f-feeling again." There we go. "I-It was worse though. M-much worse." I shuddered and rubbed the back of my neck.

Simon looked alarmed. "Is there a body here?"

"No. I would have smelled it." Derek looked at me. " What do you mean worse?"

I worked my jaw, trying to get a hold on myself…and my tongue. "I-I can n-normally ignore it. B-but I c-couldn't even think this time." I rubbed my arms and thought for a second. I was going to regret this.

"I-I want to go in the basement." Simon looked at me like I really was schizo and Derek pretty much exploded.

"Chloe are you out of your mind! You can barely stand outside the door let alone actually inside the room! That's the stupidest thing I've heard." My anger flared. His accusing me of stupidity _really_ pissed me off. "How can you-" I snapped.

"How can I what, Derek? Go in and find out what on earth might be down there that made me feel like that? Find out whether we should be _concerned_ by it?" He looked shocked by my outburst but I carried on. "How can I even bother trying to give a reasonable explanation when I can't get a word in edgeways because _you_ don't even let me finish a sentence?" My voice was clear because of my anger. All traces of stuttering gone. "So why don't you tell me Derek, because I _really_ want to know. How. Can. I .What?" To my surprise and slightly shocked delight he had backed up against the wall when I had forced myself into such close proximity to him, getting up in his face. The closeness wasn't nice like before, I was so pissed off right now and my head was killing me.

He didn't say anything and neither did I. I just glared at him, glad to actually win a dirty look competition with him. But the tense silence was broken by Simon.

He was laughing.

_Actually_ laughing.

"Oh. My. God." He gasped for breath gripping at his sides. "She…she...she…" Simon made a pathetic attempt to compose himself. "She really gave you a good telling off! You got _owned_!" And at that he lost it, falling to his knees as his body convulsed with his laughter.

"Well I'm glad someone's amused." I turned back to Derek. "So. Are you going to answer my question?"

He scowled at the ground. I could tell he wanted to yell back but didn't want to make me any more irate.

"Didn't think so." I stepped back out of his personal space, my temper cooling. "S-so," Damn my stutter. "I thought that you and Simon could take a look in the basement and tell me if there are any bodies or other things I should stay away from in there. Then if its OK I could try and go in myself and see if I can find out what caused...that feeling." His arms were folded and his lips were pressed together, I was vaguely aware of Simon rolling around on the floor, but otherwise my eyes were focused on Derek. He had his signature scowl in place but I could tell he was thinking it over.

"Sounds good. But if I think you're in too bad a shape to go in you stay out here." His green eyes locked with mine. Simon stopped laughing. I didn't say anything. Derek growled. "I mean it Chloe."

"And I mean it too. You can't tell me what to do Derek. If _I_ think I can't handle it, I'll stop. But if you suggest I stay up here, I'll think about it." Neither of us had blinked yet. "That OK with you?" My voice dripped with sarcasm.

He didn't stay anything, just kept up our staring contest. Then eventually…

"Fine." He walked past me, nodding to Simon. "C'mon."

Derek put the key in the lock.

**A/N**

**Muahahaha! **

**Sorry about the delay. I think I've got a good idea of what's going to happen now. Thanks for all my reviews. And speaking of reviews I would love it if I could have at least another five before I update the next chapter. That would really make my day. Oh and in those reviews could you guys give me some good guy names. I think I might have to add in another character and I need a name for him. Bye for now. **


	4. The real one The basementdundundun!

**A/N**

**Wow. You lot reviewed fast. Thanks to everyone that did and to the other 150 or so people that didn't Pleeeeeeeeeeease review. By the way who thinks I should do a Derek point of view? I think he's the easiest to understand so I might write from his POV. But I'm not sure whether I should leave this all as Chloe's POV. By the way, the other one was a cliff hanger cus I wrote it really quick and I was going to put more, but it would take me ages to write it all and you might think I'd died or fallen off the earth or summat. Do any of you even read these authors notes? If you do mention it in your review please. Speeking of which I'd like a grand total of…say…23 before I update. Heeheehee.**

**Oh and I can't buy the Reckoning until the 16****th****! my mum went to the shop to get it…and it had sold out! She had to pre-order it from the next lot. I think I am going to die of frustration. There's like 1million people out there that have read it AND IM NOT ONE OF THEM! If you have a similar problem and we'll all be depressed together. BTW No-one tell me what happens.**

**Anyway, here's the chapter you lovely lovely people.**

Derek looked in first. I was really far away so I could only just make out his nostrils flaring as he inhaled, checking the basement for unknown scents. He turned to Simon and gestured him to come forward, at the same time shooting me a look that said 'stay there Chloe'. I just gave him my best monotone face. He kept glaring before turning away.

I could hear Simon's heavy footsteps on the stairs but not Derek's almost silent gait. I stared at the door, remembering when the babysitter made me go down into our old basement. I couldn't recall her name, but I knew that I really liked her, well, up until she made me go in there.

"Chloe?" Simon poked his head round the door.

"Hmmm?" I snapped out of my trance.

"Derek gave the all clear." He watched me, gauging my reaction. "You can come in."

I took a deep breath and rubbed my neck again, wincing when I used the arm with a splint. "I'm coming." Slowly.

I took an experimental step forward then stopped. No change. I took another breath and another step. Same thing.

Derek popped his head round as well to see what was taking so long. He opened his mouth but held back whatever he was going to say when he saw me.

I walked at a normal pace when I realised that nothing was happening then froze.

I was about a foot from the door when it started. I focused on the feeling, gritting my teeth. Fight it Chloe. I kept walking. Simon and Derek held the door open for me, holding their arms out, ready to catch me. I was grateful for that. It was so extreme now it hurt. I can't take another-

Darkness. Faces leaning over me. Bright light. Too bright. A fist. Pain ripping through me. Darkness. The darkness moving, like eyes opening. A room, there were no more faces. Relief. _Mine? No. Someone else's relief. Someone else's memory. _A woman. Fear. Absolute Terror. _That woman I know her! _She leant over me. Too close. Blonde hair falling in my face. _Their face. _A flash. Something metallic. She grabbed my hands. _No. The memory's hands_. She slashed the metallic thing across both wrists. It was a knife! The blood welled up and spilt down my arms, soaking me in red. A cackling laugh. She put something over my head. I couldn't breathe. I was dying. Absolute panic. The blood soaked her hands and a smudge of it was across her face. She grinned down at me baring her teeth. Grey spotted across her face. The grey spreading, filling up my vision. I couldn't see! Everything was going dark. My lungs were burning, my wrists stung. Then it stopped. It was dark, except for Diane Enright's face. Burned into my sight.

I inhaled with a gasp. I was in the basement, crouched on the steps from when my legs must have gave way. I felt arms pulling me up and backwards. I kept breathing deeply trying to fill my lungs with air. They hurt, along with everything else. I felt as if I really had died. My head throbbed. I was being lain down on the sofa. I opened my eyes and saw Derek pull away from me. He must have carried me. Tori and Simon were looking at me worried. Tori? When did she-

"Chloe?! What the hell just happened?!" Derek was shouting again.

"How the hell am I supposed to know!" I was confused and scared and I felt like crap. How dare he shout at me. My face felt cold and wet. I touched my cheek. I was crying. Well you can't blame me.

"Give her a second, Wolfboy. She needs to calm down." Tori was having a go at Derek again. I would have told her to shut it on a normal occasion but I couldn't think properly right now.

Derek fixed his best glare on her. "Don't tell me what to do." He turned to me and asked. "What happened Chloe?" His voice was quieter but tense. It was a forced calm.

My anger subsided and fear took it's place. "I-I-I had this v-vision. I d-don't know what it was r-really." How can I tell them what happened when I don't know myself.

"Damn Chloe. Your messed up. First ghosts, then zombies now visions. Don't tell Margaret, she might get jealous." That was Tori's attempt at lightening the mood…in her own twisted way. It helped though, a little bit.

"I-I think I saw this p-p-person die. No, m-murdered. W-well I d-didn't _see._ _I_ _w-was_ m-murdered. W-well not m-me. Someone else." This was getting me nowhere. Then I remembered who murdered me and I couldn't find my voice.

Luckily Derek saved me. "You mean you saw someone get murdered, but from their point of view?" He gave me a look that I couldn't dissect. I nodded in reply. I was crying again, trying to hide it.

"Who?" Simon asked. He looked at me in encouragement.

"I d-don't know. I was l-looking out. I-I-I only saw w-w-who did it." I bit my tongue, regretting that last bit.

Derek stared at me, noticing my reluctance. "Who did it Chloe?"

"Tori's mum."

~~doing the wiggle~~

They all stared at me in stunned silence. No one seemed to know what to say. Derek was scowling as usual, Simon had collapsed onto the arms of the sofa, his eyes darting to all of our faces and Tori looked like she was about to be sick.

Someone had to do something and I knew it had to be me. I didn't know where to start. Luckily, Derek saved me the trouble.

"OK. Can you give us some details. So that we have an idea of whether it was real or not."

Simon looked at him, confused. "Why wouldn't it be real?"

Derek sighed, exasperated. "Remember that ghost that got Chloe on the roof and started flinging stuff at her? Well he might be playing a really sadistic trick on her. I don't think he was too pleased with her." He moved to the chair in the corner by the door.

"Good point." Simon turned and looked at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath. I'd calmed down a bit but I still didn't want to relive dying. "OK. So I was in this room…" I explained what had happened, trying to remember what happened without thinking too much about what it felt like.

After the explanation I noticed that Tori had disappeared. I was about to mention it when Andrew walked in.

"Simon, I've been looking for you. We were going to start your training today." He looked at Simon expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Simon stood up, ambivalent . "Yeah." He glanced back at me and Simon obviously wanting to stay but desperate to get started on his lessons.

So that just left me and Derek. The silence that followed was tense, but not exactly awkward. I was looking out across the room so I didn't see Derek move and sit by me on the sofa and place his hand on my leg.

When I yelped he made a short grunting noise that could have been an apology but didn't move his hand straight away. Instead he squeezed it gently before letting go and leaning against the back of the chair resting his arm on it behind me.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. A little freaked out but other than that I'm fine." He gave me a look. "Really. I'm fine." Derek still didn't look convinced.

I sighed. "I 'm gonna go. I need a shower." I hopped up of the sofa and went upstairs, grabbing a towel and a change of clothes. I smiled when the hot water poured over my body easing my muscled and washing away all thoughts of what happened in the basement.

**A/N**

**SORRY! It's really late I know. Im so so so so so so so so so so so so so so soooooooorry. Please forgive me. I'm going to get started on the next chapter as soon as I can. Sorry if you're all mad at me or disappointed about this chapter. What can I do to make it up to you all? Tell me in your reviews. ****J**

**And Yes I know that when I uploaded chapter four it was actually chapter two. The names got mixed up on the Docx thing so when I clicked chapter four it went to chapter two instead and I didn't realise…woops. ****J**

**Thanks Sam and Jamie Kay Hunt for pointing that out. I would have been screwed without you.**

**Also thanks to: Morbid Mandy, Emmoria, Katniss, readingaddict93, BMX2, Anon, Zoey, Jamie Kay Hunt, Setienpah08, not-so-innocent011, waltrluvr, .jd.4eva1, Winter Midnight, Cheese 101, Chloe Souza and Darkestpowerslover234!**


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